SEARCH IS OVER
After over 100 plus days, we finally have a permanent successor to Michael Beale and collectively we can stop twiddling our thumbs. Régis Le Bris, or Reg to me, has been tasked with the job and is the man we have to give our backing to. The fact that it took the Lads so long to appoint him; has some similarities with how Celtic appointed Ange Postecoglou. Both Postecoglou and Le Bris weren’t front runners for the vacancies they filled, and not exactly household names. They also play attacking football which is bound to please our punters. Apparently Reg doesn’t take too kindly to those players who turn and think I’m alright I'm a shoe-in for the team every week, he demands full commitment to the cause. All in all, it’s a new approach and if it gets results then that works with me. Sometimes a freshen up from the normal is needed, and the Lads are trying this. He can’t be any worse than Beale…
GREAT NEWS ABOUT RIGG
Once the retained list was out of the way, focus switched to the fact we could be braced for bids for some of our best players valuable players. Jack Clarke is still a Lads player and we haven’t received (as far as I know) a creditable offer from another side worth discussing. Chris Rigg has been another who many were saying would definitely be at pastures new in 2024-25, but they got that wrong didn’t they? A first professional deal, and for three years, goes to show to me that we want to retain this talent for themselves. Rigg will be a very important player for Reg this season. He’s that bit more experienced, despite his tender years, and is ready to unleash his skillset on the Championship. Whether he plays in the hole or wide right, defences won’t get a moment’s peace if he’s on it. Time to let him loose and do his thing. Be prepared to be on the edge of your seat with excitement.
HUMMEL HAVE DONE US PROUD
So, the new home shirt is out. After some disasters in the last few seasons, we now have a home jersey that looks the part and is a nod back to those great kits of the past. Hummel were always my favourites for shirts when they first came onto the scene and they still churn out quality. When I see the new home shirt, I hark back and think of the sight of Gary Bennett and Marco Goalo strutting their stuff in something similar at Roker and a packed Fulwell End. According to what I have heard the away kit is going to have a bit of a retro feel about it too. By all accounts, it’s going to be going back to the Hummel days of the 90s. Which does me fine. At least Hummel don’t seem to be adopting a five-year old’s design with a packet of Crayola crayons like Nike and Adidas seemed to have done. Chuck in embroidered badges then you have me smiling like a kid going into a sweet shop and asking for a mix-up or packets of sherbet dib-dabs. Retro is the new future, right?
PRIORITIES FOR REG
Reg is under no illusions that he has taken on a role that demands a lot. The question is, can he get a tune out of some players that others failed to do? Certain players did not perform as well as we knew they could, with the striking positions particularly a letdown. Bringing in a proven goalscorer, especially at Championship level, needs to be addressed as his main priority because the ones we have there are no near good enough. Unless Reg can completely change the narrative as regards them. All decent promoted sides will have a mixture of young and exuberant stars with experienced heads, get the right pegs in the right holes and we’re laughing. Buying into the SAFC tapestry and the support that the Lads have is another test for Reg. Mogga got it, Beale less so. That’s why there needs to be a connect between the manager and the supporters. Be upfront and honest with us Reg, and you will have landed a really good job. Give us lame excuses and you will be probably become the next one out of the revolving door which I maintain, needs to stop working. Fans hate to be taken for mugs, our football team means everything to us all and more.
SEASON AHEAD
The new season brings with a whole new set of challenges which we must meet head on. Each of the three sides relegated from the Premier League will be looking for an immediate return and we have to be in a position to make sure that last season’s performance was nothing more than a blip. We know that the squad is still painfully thin, so reinforcements are going to be essential. Certain players will have a bigger role to play and others might have to step up their own game. We can’t tolerate any more mistakes and leave ourselves playing catch up. Those painful scars from the back to back relegations are taking an awfully long time to heal. I’m ready as ever for the madness once more, are you?
